Radiator mounting for a motorcycle

ABSTRACT

A motorcycle including at least two wheels. The at least two wheels include a front wheel and a rear wheel, the rear wheel defining a rotational axis. The motorcycle includes an engine for driving at least one of the wheels. A radiator assembly includes a radiator configured to receive coolant from the engine and dissipate heat from the coolant. The radiator assembly further includes an inlet guide configured to direct air toward the radiator. The inlet guide has an inlet opening positioned closer to the rear wheel than the front wheel. At least a portion of the inlet opening is positioned below the rotational axis of the rear wheel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/788,088, filed May 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/765,524, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,743,868, the entire contents of both of which areincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to motorcycles, and particularly to thepositioning of a radiator on a motorcycle.

Many motorcycles have engines that are cooled using a liquid, commonlyreferred to as a coolant. The coolant typically is pumped throughpassageways in the engine to remove heat from the engine. The liquid isthen pumped to a radiator, where the heat is transferred to ambient air.

It is common to mount the radiator up near the front of the motorcycleso that fresh air is forced through the radiator for cooling purposes.In some cases, a fan is positioned immediately in front of or behind theradiator in order to force air through the radiator.

SUMMARY

The present invention was developed as a result of the recognition thatradiators can be positioned in other locations on the motorcycle forfunctional and/or aesthetic reasons. For example, in some circumstances,the presence of a radiator near the front of the motorcycle can resultin hot air exiting the radiator and passing over the engine, thus addingheat back to the engine. Also, hot air exiting a front-mounted radiatorcan, in some circumstances, pass over the rider, which can make therider uncomfortably warm. The positioning of a radiator at the front ofa motorcycle can also be very conspicuous and aesthetically undesirable.

The present invention provides a motorcycle having at least one frontwheel, at least one rear wheel, an engine for driving at least one ofthe wheels, coolant positioned at least partially in the engine, and aradiator assembly containing at least a portion of the coolant. In oneaspect of the invention, the radiator assembly includes a radiatorhaving an upper portion that is positioned forward of a lower portion(e.g., by at least about 15 degrees, and preferably at least about 30degrees, relative to a vertical axis).

In a different aspect, the radiator has an inlet surface into which airis received and an outlet surface through which air is expelled. In thisaspect, the inlet surface faces downward (e.g., by at least about 15degrees, and preferably at least about 30 degrees, relative to ahorizontal axis).

In another aspect, the radiator assembly further includes an inlet guidepositioned near the inlet surface and having an inlet opening. In thisaspect, at least a portion of the inlet opening is positioned at anelevation lower than the outlet surface. Preferably, the inlet openingis positioned at an elevation below the top surface of the front wheel,and most preferably below the rotational axis of the front wheel. In oneembodiment, the inlet opening is positioned below the seat.

In yet another aspect, the radiator assembly further includes both aninlet guide positioned near the inlet surface and having an inletopening, and an outlet guide positioned near the outlet surface andhaving an outlet opening. In this aspect, at least a portion of theoutlet opening is positioned at an elevation higher than the inletopening.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration ofthe detailed description and accompanying drawings. Before anyembodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and the arrangement of components set forth inthe following description or illustrated in the following drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or ofbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, theterms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variationsthereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirectmountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected”and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connectionsor couplings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle embodying the various aspects ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the motorcycle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a motorcycle corresponding with a secondembodiment of the present invention; and;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a motorcycle corresponding with a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The motorcycle 10 of FIG. 1 includes a frame 12, a seat 14, a frontwheel 16, a rear wheel 18, and an engine 20. The engine 20 providespower to the rear wheel 18 through a transmission. The engine 20includes two cylinders 22 for combusting an air-fuel mixture.

The illustrated motorcycle 10 further includes a radiator assembly 24for cooling the engine 20. More specifically, coolant is pumped throughthe engine 20 where it absorbs heat from the engine 20. The coolant isthen pumped to the radiator assembly 24 to expel heat to the ambientair. The illustrated radiator assembly 24 includes a radiator 26 havinga coolant inlet 28 for receiving coolant from the engine 20 and acoolant outlet 30 for passing coolant back to the engine 20, as isgenerally known in the art. A pump (not shown) circulates the coolantbetween the engine and the radiator.

The radiator 26 is positioned rearward of the engine 20 in front of therotational axis 56 of the rear wheel 18, and directly below the seat 14.The radiator 26 includes an upper portion 32 defined by the upper mostend of the radiator, a lower portion 34 defined by the lower most end ofthe radiator, an inlet surface 36 into which air is received, and anoutlet surface 38 through which air is expelled. The upper portion 32 ofthe radiator 26 is positioned forward of the lower portion 34. In theillustrated embodiment, the upper portion 32 is positioned forward ofthe lower portion 34 by an angle α of about 37 degrees relative to avertical axis 40. In addition, the inlet surface 36 of the illustratedradiator faces downward (i.e., at least partially toward the groundsurface 42), and the outlet surface 38 faces generally upward (i.e., atleast partially away from the ground surface 42). The illustrated inletsurface faces downward by an angle β of about 37 degrees relative to ahorizontal axis 44.

The illustrated radiator assembly further includes an inlet guide 46positioned near the inlet surface 36 and having an inlet opening 48, andan outlet guide 50 positioned near the outlet surface 38 and having anoutlet opening 52. The inlet opening 48 is positioned at an elevationlower than the outlet surface 38 and also lower than the outlet opening52. In addition, it can be seen that the inlet opening 48 is positionedat an elevation below the top surface 54 of the rear wheel 18 and belowthe rotational axis 56 of the rear wheel 18. A fan 58 is positioned inthe outlet guide 50 to assist with air movement through the radiator 26.

The inlet opening 48 is positioned immediately in front of the rearwheel 18, rearward of the engine and transmission, and below theelevation E of the rotational axis 56 of the rear wheel 18. Morespecifically, the inlet opening 48, is closer to the rear wheel 18 thanto the front wheel 16. In the motorcycle of FIG. 1, the inlet opening 48is about 80% of the distance from the rear edge 57 of the front wheel 16to the front edge 59 of the rear wheel 18. In addition, it is noted thatthe inlet opening 48 is spaced behind the rear edge of the front wheel16 by a distance D that exceeds the diameter of the front wheel 16. Thispositions the inlet opening 48 directly below the seat 14, in theillustrated embodiment. This positioning advantageously places the inletopening 48 at a location of relatively high air pressure, thus enhancingthe flow of air through the radiator assembly 24.

The above-described, angled orientation of the radiator facilitatesupward movement of air from the inlet surface to the outlet surface. Asair passes through the radiator, it is heated, which causes the air torise. This tendency for the air exiting the radiator to rise facilitatesthe flow of air through the radiator assembly, even when the motorcycleis standing still.

FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention. Theillustrated motorcycle includes a radiator 60 that is tilted to an angleα of about 61 degrees relative to a vertical axis 62. This increasedangling of the radiator allows for the use of a larger radiator comparedto that shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention. Theillustrated motorcycle includes a radiator 70 that is positioned below atop surface 72 of the rear wheel 74 and is substantially aligned withthe vertical height of the rotational axis 76 of the rear wheel 74. Thisembodiment positions the radiator 70 immediately between the engine 78and the rear wheel 74.

1. A motorcycle comprising: at least two wheels, the at least two wheelsincluding a front wheel and a rear wheel, the rear wheel defining arotational axis; and a radiator assembly including a radiator configuredto receive a flow of coolant and to dissipate heat from the coolant, andan inlet guide configured to direct air toward the radiator, the inletguide having an inlet opening positioned closer to the rear wheel thanthe front wheel and at least a portion of which is positioned below therotational axis of the rear wheel.
 2. The motorcycle of claim 1, whereinthe radiator is positioned substantially rearward of a power source ofthe motorcycle.
 3. The motorcycle of claim 1, wherein the power sourceof the motorcycle is an engine.
 4. The motorcycle of claim 1, whereinthe radiator has an inlet surface into which air is received and anoutlet surface through which air is expelled, and wherein the inletsurface faces downward.
 5. The motorcycle of claim 4, wherein a portionof the inlet guide is positioned adjacent the inlet surface of theradiator.
 6. The motorcycle of claim 1, wherein the motorcycle furtherincludes a seat, and wherein the inlet opening is positioned directlybelow the seat.
 7. The motorcycle of claim 1, wherein the inlet openingis positioned at a distance from a rear edge of the front wheel that isabout 80 percent of a distance from the rear edge of the front wheel toa front edge of the rear wheel.
 8. The motorcycle of claim 1, whereinthe inlet opening is spaced behind a rear edge of the front wheel by adistance that exceeds a diameter of the front wheel.
 9. The motorcycleof claim 1, wherein the inlet opening is positioned immediately in frontof the rear wheel.
 10. The motorcycle of claim 1, wherein the inletopening is positioned entirely at an elevation below the rotational axisof the rear wheel.